Being ourselves around other people is a very difficult thing to do. We feel we need to do things that wouldn’t offend anyone else, especially when in public.

Sometimes we make it a necessity to be a “people-pleaser”.

“I did some research,” as Clay says, and looked up the definition of a people-pleaser and came up with this:

“People pleasers let high expectations, resentment, and saying ‘yes’ when they mean ‘no’ run (and potentially ruin) their social lives. They are set on being perfect and nice.”

I was once a people pleaser until about 2 years ago when I decided I wasn’t going to care what people thought about what I did around them, especially when in public where obviously not everyone is a Christian.

Recently at the beach, which is really a lake a block from my house, I was writing “graffiti” in the sand, consisting of Bible verses…

A little to the left

a little to the right

this way, that way

looking for Light

a balancing act

one foot- then two

step by step

I’m  following You 

On a sweltering summer morning, I took a long walk. With sweaty palms, I held my cell phone as I listened to music. I walked all the way to the end of the cul-de-sac and turned to come back the way I came.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw this tree-

I had to take a second glance…  A tree smack dab in the middle of the creek- looking as if it were suspended in mid air.  The roots of the tree were grounded in the earth on either side of the creek bed, and there it stood right in the middle, as the water flowed freely beneath it’s trunk.

Even when the world beneath my feet…

My oldest “dreamer”- looking out over the sea

i had to catch 

my breath, as i

gazed into 

your azure eyes-

a thousand times

i dreamed of you 

and all my hopes

you would out-do 

i remember well- 

the very first day

i gently rocked 

your cries away

i held you close 

and breathed you in 

that was the moment

i could never begin

imagining life

without you

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires Psalm 37:4

With great joy, I am watching my girls grow into independent young ladies. While they are still young in many ways, at times they impress me with their insight and words of wisdom.  Recently, they asked me what I used to want to be when I grew up.  I told them I dreamed of doing all sorts of things- a news reporter, a singer, a…

The garden at Swanannoa Palace

all that remains

left to decay

a faint whisper

of yesterday

once a fairytale

they say

covered in blankets

of fog so gray

on a mountaintop

tucked far, far away

Your life is like the morning fog—

it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  James 4:14

Swannanoa Palace

What little girl doesn’t want to be a princess when she grows up?  I sure did!  And I still do…I couldn’t wait to visit this old palace at the foot of the Blue Ridge Parkway this past weekend!

 Swanannoa Palace was built in 1912 by James H. Dooley for his wife as a summer vacation home. They both passed away a few years after it was completed, and it has been unoccupied for many years.  Despite the deterioration of this once beautiful home, the current owner opens the Palace for tours several times a year- but…